Posts Tagged ‘Homeowners Insurance’

Homeowner Insurance Tips

Thursday, March 4th, 2010

Similar to auto insurance, home owner policies have deductibles, and the same rule of thumb prevails, carry the most expensive deductible you can . The your deductible, the more premium credit you can expect to receive from your homeowner insurance company. Your savings may well reach 25% by increasing the deductible from $500 to $1000.

Improve Your Home Security

Most insurance homeowners companies offer rate reductions for dead bolts, fire extinguishers, smoke detectors, burglar alarms and Neighborhood Watch Areas. Dwellings with a fire and burglar alarm system hooked up to a third-party monitoring company receive greater than homes with local bell alarms.

Combine Policies

Insuring several cars on the same policy with the same insurance company can save you ten to fifteen percent on your premiums. If you cover your homeowners insurance and auto insurance together, you can reduce your premiums by another ten percent to fifteen percent.

Verify Distance To Fire Stations And Windstorm Areas

If you reside in the country, youll probably pay higher premiums for your home owners insurance than if you lived in town. How come? Its because of the greater distance to your fire . If you live more than 10 miles from the nearest fire , and more than 1,000 feet from a fire hydrant, you will more than likely pay a higher premium.

Save Money with a Claims Free Record

If you have not had a claim under your policy during the past 3 to 5 consecutive years, you could be eligible to receive up to a savings, depending on the homeowners insurance company. Plus, most companies will discount your premium if your policy has been in force for years.

Free and Clear Mortgage Savings

Some insurance companies target those who have no mortgage and offer premium savings of up to five percent.

Discounts for New and Renovated Homes

insurance companies offer a discount for new homes, and you will qualify if your home was built in the last ten to fifteen years. Also, a renovated home to insure, so find out when the last major electrical, heating and plumbing update was completed on the home.

The easiest way to know if you are receiving the best rates possible on your home insurance is to go online and compare rates. Even if your home is mobile, you can compare and receive a very competitive RV insurance quote online and know that you are paying the lowest rates possible no matter what type of home you are insuring.

Home Based Business Tax Deductions for 2009, 2010

Sunday, November 8th, 2009

 

In the past couple of years many Americans have opened home based businesses as a result of many business closings and layoffs. Not only do these businesses allow you to earn income at home but they can also offer many great tax deductions.

In order to get the most deductions possible for your home based business, you must stay very organized and track all of your expenses. You will want to save all receipts and use them to get you the most deductions possible.

Home Deductions

You can take a lot of deductions just from using your home as your primary place of business. You can take many deductions if you own your home and even if you rent your home.

You can deduct:

A percentage of utilities paid.

Telephone usage.

Internet access.

A percentage of your mortgage. (Depending on the amount of your house is used to operate the business.)

Homeowners insurance.

Property taxes.

Mortgage interest.

Rent.

Maintenance.

It is very important to save all receipts and they may be needed to provide proof for expenses paid. The home related tax deductions are simpler if you have designated a room in your home directly to the business. Trying to figure out the percentage of your home used to operate the business can get rather difficult if you have a computer in your living room that you run the business from.

Make sure you don’t overlook many normal business deductions such as office supplies, furniture, mileage, etc. These normal deductions along with home operating expenses could cut you tax bill dramatically and help you save money.

Visit TurboTax online to get the most home based business tax deductions possible.